Film Review – Vote Your Loudness
The just concluded elections showed us a lot about ourselves and our fellow countrymen. Many messages from various perspectives and mediums were shared concerning the direction we should take, but very few touched on our shared Kenyanness like this film did. From a storytelling and directorial point of view, Loud KE recontextualizes a trait that’s common across our population.
Kenyans complain a lot. This is an opinion held by many, but this film interprets being loud as being outspoken, and wanting better. Kenyans are not just an ungrateful, insolent, and nagging lot; rather, it is the humanity in us that pushes us to shout and ask for better from our institutions, our politicians, and ourselves. Through choices of imagery, music and voice, a message that resonates across socioeconomic and political lines starts to form. The piece is well produced and shows a good understanding of the craft of film making and storytelling from shooting & performance to the edit.
From the very beginning, one can tell that the shots are framed professionally, following the rule of thirds to capture moments in time and subjects. Suspense is built using slow motion, chaos and movement is represented by fast forwards and tracking, grandness created by using wide & ariel shots and so much more. Some shots are stabilized while others are hand-held to give a more organic feel as the film progresses.
In addition to picking camera movements, framing and shots that told this story well, the choices in lighting and performance did a lot to push the narrative forward. Natural light paired with a shallow depth of field always keeps focus on what’s important and continues to paint a truer picture of what many ordinary Kenyans feel. Straight cuts cued to the music and narration are used to progress the story and join cuts from different times and places without being too jarring to the viewer.
Of course, the story wouldn’t be complete without the Sounds chosen to pass the messages. From the language, music to sound effects, the story is told from the perspective of a young, energetic, forward-looking Kenya. The narration is performed in a spoken-word-type of delivery, making the film play out like more of a music video but for spoken word. Like a music video, the performance builds as the film progresses, taking the viewer on a journey using English, Kiswahili, Swanglish and Sheng. The Sound is mostly diegetic, putting the viewer in the shoes of any Kenyan they see in screen and further resonating with the message being passed.
The overall tone is quite urban and forward looking, and there are subtle nuances of more progressive worldviews such as leaders being held accountable (speaking truth to power) and the right to love whomever they want (LGBTQIA+ rights). A lot of initiatives attempting to do something similar for different causes have either come from people who are affiliated or endorse either of the ‘Big Two’ political camps or have fallen flat since they feel like disingenuous endeavours. Through a mixture of well written script, pacing and editing, this film has gone a long way in passing an authentic-feeling message without feeling too preachy.
The film deals with a weighty subject matter and manages to make it palatable. Pre-election, the message served as a rallying call to use your voice, no matter how loud, to improve your life and the lives of those you care about most. After elections, the same film advocates for using your voice to keep the decision makers, citizens, and us as individuals accountable to build a future that serves all of us, equally.
